TNA Unclassified 1

SECRET
- 2 -
407
11.
Three
German bombers
1830 yards from about astern. 8000 British feet. fighters Ten carried bombs were out a dropped level bombing falling attack 385 at hour 250 later as three transports Passed. appeared about a quarter about of an be shown of the night. The This boat remained with us asked the
12. the At way 2030 into the motor Dunkirk. lifeboat E.M.M.D. hailed us and to remainder killed by Lieutenant R.N.V.R. in command for by at Ramsgate.
unfortunately Commander Tyler on arrival shrapnel during the night. This was was reported troops in the Commander Tyler disregarded this and were went no
13. left At in 2100 Dunkirk. a small motor boat informed us that there into the harbour motor lifeboat with Lieutenant Fletcher.
14. At 2130 the tug was hailed by a motor torpedo boat and orders were received to use the boats to fill up minesweepers which were to arrive later.
15. At 2145 the motor lifeboat and one boat were sent in shore.
The tug then towed the remaining boat as near in shore as possible.
This boat then pulled for, shore. The tug was then anchored about three quarters of a mile from the Eastern breakwater.
16. The pulling boat returned with the news that there were no soldiers ashore at 2230, and said that she had not seen the other boats.
17. 2300 - 0100/2 June, 1940, fairly heavy firing over and short, chiefly shrapnel, All hands kept under cover, until the motor lifeboat returned at 0130. The tug then weighed and proceeded to
Ramsgate.
18. At 0140 an M.T.B. again hailed us and weewere sent back to fill up with soldiers, and anchored in position again at 0215.
After waiting till 0330 for the boats the tug weighed and went further in shore to pick them up, but ran aground about a quarter of a mile off shore. The flooding tide and the use of engines astern together with physical jerks by the soldiers refloated her. Boats meanwhile had been secured. We then proceeded to Ramsgate with
142 soldiers on board and in the motor lifeboat, which we towed.
19. At 0415 we ran aground for the second time one mile west haze gave us a peaceful passage home arriving at Ramsgate at 07451
of the breakwater, but managed to get off after ten minutes. A slight
20. Commander Tyler left us A.M. and we were told the tug would not be required that night, but at 2000/2 June, 1940, we were ordered the Hospital Paris. At 0100 we eventually located her and the to weigh and proceeded to a position near position wire to salvage
We lay with a got secured, but unfortunately her first tug Sun XV Ship Commander R.N.R., onboard, attempted to tow her.
wire parted. off until About she had two minutes later a German machine Lewis dived down both the gunned us. the guns getting in bursts. We were leave and machine We engaged the aircraft with then guns;
ordered ratings on R.N.R., in the tug Sun XV to after ship he had by the Commander thought of the situation. The hospital by the stern. was
Both about the five fathoms and I considered that if we be were very slow work to in asked us what we of water and was very heavily down to get her back safely we Tugmaster would require an escort. I It think would that she was already tow her as she was a twin screw ship.
aground. but it was hard to tell.
The tug arrived back at Ramsgate
0645/3 June, 1940.
21. At 130 we

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the pulling the boats hauled off to the barges, the troops then being work getting a line ashore from the barges to the beach by which ferried by fire-float to the waiting ships.
Lieutenant WALKER left at 0335 (2nd. June), the fire-float being then just aground (low water 0400 approx). He had to leave about 150 men on the barges, but there were no troops visible on the beach up to 1 mile East of Dunkirk. At 0345 there were no troops visible on the mole, and a paddle minesweeper was just leaving. An anonymous Brigadier who boarded WALKER's craft, said that at about 0200 there would be 1000 - 1500 British (2) troops still to come.
At this stage, it was the unamizous opinion of all the officers named above that small slow motior boats and pulling boats would be of no further use on the beaches. It might have been worth while trying to reach the barges 1 mile East of Dunkirk with fast shallow draught craft at about 2200 (2nd. June).
It is worthy of remark that these wrecked barges made excellent piers for motor boats to use, pulling boats working between them and the beach with a line to haul themselves off. Three barges were afloat at any state of the tide and two others were aground about an hour before low water. M.T.B.s could go alongside the barges 3
hours either side of H.W.I and shallow draught boats for longer.
Beach parties, eventually, were not required on the night of
Sunday 2nd. June, and everybody was able to get some much needed rest and food.
Monday 3rd. June Tuesday 4th. June.
A further operation for these nights was organised from
RAMSGATE, a copy of the orders being attached herewith. I organised the following tugs to tow:-
SUN IV Commander Le MESURIER, Lieut. MARTIN R.N.J Lieut.
FLETCHER, R.N.R.
TANGA Lieut. Commander SHERWOOD, R.N.R.
SUN
XV
Two R.N.R. Officers.
RACIA Lieut. Commander MILLER, D.S.O. R.N.R., Lieut.
WALKER, R.N.V.R.
Each tug was to take 4 motor boats in tow, with orders to work from the Nouveau Avant Port and from any point of the East mole which they could reach, and to ferry troops down to the ships alongside or to the transport LOCUST. The tugs dad no specific orders, and I instructed the Officers in the tugs that they should wait just outside the entrance to Dunkirk, keeping clear of ships going in and out (of which I understood there were to be a good many) and to be ready to go alongside to pick up troops as opportunity offered or to assist as required.
The convoy left a little after 1700 with 14 motor boats in all, two having failed (one with engine trouble, one was aground in
RAMSGATE). The passage across was uneventful, save for a certain amount of trouble with the tows, and the encountering of two mines in the neighbourhood of W. buoy which were dealt with by minesweepers. Commodore H.) TAYLOR, RNRI took passage with me, but about halfway Dunkirk. across was picked up by a Motor Torpedo Boat and went on to

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The for the following reasons boats given were below:- abandoned either on passage or at Dunkirk,
(a) THARK. Rope foul of propeller and rudder. Abandoned half way.
(b) SANTOSY. Petrol failure. Abandoned near W. buoy. An interesting point arose here. The Sub-Lieutenant in command said that he had been instructed to fill up with petrol at RAMSGATE from officer who told him which cans to take was dressed as a Lieut.
certain cans which were subsequently found to contain water. The
Commander (E) RINI When this was discussed, the Sub- Lieutenant reported this to the Engineer Captain (or Commander) at
RAMSGATE, who said that there was no Lieut. Commander (E) at
RAMSGATE, at any rate on the staff. I do not know if this officer could be, or ever was, traced and identified.
(c) DIANA MARY. Engine trouble and damage to propeller. Abandoned at Dunkirk.
(d) ADMIRAL SUPERINTENDENT&S BARGE (Portsmouth).
Ran on a pile of submerged masonry in Dunkirk and abandoned.
The officer in this boat (Sub-Lieutenant BIGGS, R.IN.V.R.) left his charts on board. I should have sent him back for them, but did not do so as it was near the time ordered for laeving, and
I thought he only had charts from RAMSGATE which gave no useful information to the enemy. Subsequently reflections made ne think he might have had a chart from Portsmouth, SO I went in to
S.O.(1) office at Portsmouth on 6th. June and reported the circumstances, leaving S.0.(1) to pursue the matter further.
to The convoy arrived at Dunkirk between 2300 and 2345, having beendelayed by trouble with the tows. Most of the boats had been slipped in the neighbourhood of the S.W. RUYTINGEN bucy and sent on. The other three tugs proceeded to the East of the entrance: SUN IV at first stayed just to the West of the wreck outside the entrance, and in this position picked up an open boat with a dozen French soldiers and an officer, who had been isolated and escaped. From the officer it was learnt that the Germans had possession of MARDYCK fort about
3 miles West of Dunkirk.
5. The motor boats carried on with their work, and SUN IV proceeded just to the Eastward of the entrance, having a look to see if there was any work to be done while passing. All appeared to be going well, all berths at the East mole were occupied and there were one or two ships lying off ready to berth.
6. At about 0115 (4th. June) one of my motor boats returned, and told me that there were no more French troops at the QUAI FELIX FUARE, and that Commander TAYLOR had left the QUAL. This boat was slightly damaged and so I left her in company.
7. At about 0200 the two end berths on the East mole were clear. H.M.S.)
"MALCOLM" went alongside and I followed in SUN IV, as also did the tug RACIA, to see if there were any more French troops. There were only a few, who embarked in "MALCOLM", this ship asked me to push her stern in to the jetty, which I did.
sailed at 0230, RAMSGATE; the return passage was uneventful. I was passed
I left approximately, picked up the waiting motor boat, and by two or for three destroyers and a minesweeper. Tug SUN XV towed home another vessel one picked up halfway.
8.
Out boats which started for Dunkirk, 8 or 9 had to be abandoned of the 14 one reason or another, but the crews were recovered safely. The for remainder found their own way back to RAMSGATE, with the